Department of Criminal Law was established and has operated since the formation of the Alma-Ata State Law Institute (1940), and since 1955 as a part of the Faculty of Law S.M. Kirov KazGU. In 1989 it was renamed to Department of Criminal Law and Criminology. At different times, the Department was headed by Professor Bulatov S. Y. (1941-1965), Markelov V.N. (1965-1976), Polenov G.F. (1976-1991), Kairzhanov E.I. (1991-1993), Baymurzin G.I. (1993-1999), Agybaev A.N. (1999-2008), from September 2008 to the present time - Doctor of Law, Professor Jansaraeva R.E.

       Since September 2008 to the present time the Department is headed by Doctor of Law, Professor, Jansaraeva Rima Erenatovna. Jansaraeva R.E. in 1984 had graduated with honors from the Faculty of Law of KazNU named after Kirov S.M, in 1990 - full-time postgraduate study of the Law Faculty and defended her thesis on the topic: "Criminal responsibility for receiving illegal compensation from citizens for the performance of works related to serving the population". She worked as an assistant, lecturer, associate professor of the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology.

       In February 2007, under the direction of Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Professor Mikhlin A.S. she defended her doctoral dissertation at the Research Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation on the topic: "Problems of fighting crime in prisons".

       In 2011, the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology united Department of Criminal Procedure and the judiciary, as well as criminology and forensics, and from that moment Department operates in a single composition called "Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Criminalistics".